Ex-gratia payment: All officials covered

SHILLONG, JULY 26: Henceforth all state government officials posted in militants infested areas will be covered by the ‘ex-gratia payment’. The decision to include all the state government officials under this coverage was taken during Friday’s cabinet meeting.

Meghalaya home minister Roshan Warjri informed reporters after the cabinet meeting that the Meghalaya government approved the modification of the ex-gratia payment so that it covers all government employees posted in the militants infested areas like Garo hills.

Warjri informed that the state government employee’s family posted in militants infested areas will get same benefit of Rs 7.5 lakh which are given to the personnel of security forces if they lost their life while on duty.

Prior to the Friday’s cabinet decision, the ex-gratia payment was extended only to the families of central and state security forces personnel besides home guards who were killed by militants while on duty.

According to Warjri the need for extending the coverage of the ex-gratia payment to all the state government officials posted in militants infested areas came after the killing of She two jail staff in Williamnagar jail some months back.

An assistant jailor Neil Warjri and a jail warder Sarai Thabah were gunned down by militants inside East Garo Hills district jail in Williamnagar on February 2 this year.- By Our Reporter